Key case



i Dec. 3, 1946. J. JUPlN ET AL KEY CASE Filed Aug. 11, 1945 ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 3, 1946 UNITED STATE PATENT oFFI E V I, I KEY CASE A John J upin andSophie Jup in, Newark, N. J. Application August 11, 1945, Serial No. 610,260 7 This, invention relates to key cases and has for one of its objects the provision of such a case wherein the keys are supportedupon a plate, said plate being manually slidable in said case in orderthat the keys may be readily available for use upon sliding the said plate to a pre-determined position.

Another object of the invention is to provide a case of this nature which may be kept in a womans purse or in a mans pocket and in which the key supporting plate is so maintained in place that it will not slide out of closed position in the case by itself due to jar or the like.

A further object of the invention is to provide means to prevent accidental disconnection between the key carrying plate and case,

Still another object of the invention is to provide a key case wherein the key supporting plate is transparent so that the keys are at all times discernable thus preventing a j' great deal of searching especially when such case is carried in a womans purse.

Yet another object of the invention is the provision of such a case in which one or all of the outer surfaces may be used for advertising purposes or may be suitably ornamented.

Another object is to provide a device ofithe character described in which the maximum simplicity of construction and operation is secured.

Other objects and advantages will appear as the nature of the improvements is better understood, the invention consisting substantially in the novel arrangement and co-relation of parts herein fully described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein similar reference characters are used to denote corresponding parts throughout the several views, and then finally pointed out and specifically defined and indicated in the appended claims.

The disclosure made the basis of exemplifying the present inventive concept suggests a practical embodiment thereof, but the invention is not to be restricted to the exact details of this disclosure, and the latter, therefore, is to be understood from an illustrative, rather than a restrictive standpoint.

In carrying out a preferred form of the invention it was found desirable to provide a case substantially U shaped in cross section and open at one end and top thereof. Near the top of the casing a preferably transparent plate is slidably maintained, the said plate carrying a key sup- Porting stud. The plate may be slid outwardly through the open end of the case to a position where the key or keys may be readily inserted 5 Claims. (01. 70-456) 2 r in a lock. Means for limiting the movement of the plate may be provided at either one or both sides thereof. In the form illustrated such limiting means are shown at one side only.

In the drawing: f V Figure 1 is a perspectiveview partlyibroken away embodying a preferred form of the invention; Figure '2 is a sectional view taken along line 22, Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a top plan view looking down on Figure 2 but showing the key carrying plate in extended position;

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the case; and Figure 5 is a fragmental sectional .view of a modified detail of the key suspension means;

Referring now to Figs. 1' to 4 of the drawing.

in detail the numeral I0 indicates a trough-like casing which is substantially U-shaped in end view or cross section and comprises a bottom wall II, side walls I2 and I3 respectively and an end wall I4. 4

Each of the side walls is provided with a slot or slideway I5 which extends from the open end I6 of the casing to the end wall [4, thesaid slideways being on the oppositely disposed inner surfaces of the respective side walls I2 and I3 and are adapted to receive a preferably transparent plate II. The casing may beimade of any suitable material as for instance'plastic or the like, and the plate may likewise be made of plastic or of unbreakable glass.

The plate I1 is provided near one end thereof with a hole or opening I8. The said hole or opening is preferably located on the longitudinal axis of the plate I1 and is adapted to receive the stem or shank I9 of a stud 20 having a preferably crown or button head 2| at one end and a screw threaded hole 22 for the reception of a screw 23. A pin 24 in the wall I3 near the open end I6 of the casing extends inwardly of the casing and forms together with a pin 25 extending downwardly from the plat I! and inwardly of the casme, stop means for limiting the outward movement of the plate II, the wall I4 forming a stop for the inward movement of said plate.

In practice, in order to suspend or support a key or keys upon the stud 20, the plate I! is moved outwardly through the open end I6 a distance sufficient to bring the stud 20 out of the casing, so that the same may be unscrewed from the screw 23. One or more keys 26 each having a hole 21 in their head portions 28 may be positioned on the stud shank I9 which is then inserted into the hole I8 in the plate I1 and screwed in for use -The key may be inserted into a look without disengaging the'plate from the casing, as the pins 24 and 25 prevent such disengagement.

In order that the key carrying plate I! does not work its way out of the casing due to jar or the like, the inner end of the pin 24' may slightly extend into the path of the head,28 of the key and frictionally engage same (see Fig. 1) so that in order to move the head past the said pin,

it is necessary to exert a slight pressure on the plate. Where the head of the key is not sufiiciently large enough'for such frictional engagemerit with the pin 24, the head 2| of the stud2ll may be made to frictionally contact the inner surface of the bottom wall H. Such frictional engagement is shown in Fig. 5, where the shank 19 ,of the stud 20 is provided with a shoulder as" at S and the distance between said shoulder and the inner surface of the bottom wall H is sufiiciehtly great enough to produce such frictional contact.

'It' is to ,be understood that the case may be made in various sizes, in so far as length, width and height is concerned so as to be adaptable foruse with various types of keys.

The casing walls may be ornamented in any suitablemanner or one ormore surfaces may be specially prepared for carrying advertising matter; such advertising matter is shown as being carried by the outer surface of the bottom wall H (see Fig. 4). I

From the foregoing it will be seen that the present invention has provided a simple, compact, inexpensive yet highly desirable key carrying case, and onein which'the key carrying element may not beaccidentally disengaged from the casing,v

although the" said" elements may by slight pres-,

sure be manually slid apart so that the key may be instantlyavailable for use.

What is clai-m'ed is: "1'. A key carrying case, comprising a' casing Open at the top and" one end thereof and further comprising a pair of side walls, an end wall and a bottom wall, each of the sidewalls having a slideway, the said slideways being in alinement one with the other, a key carrying plate slidable under slight pressure in the said slideways, and means for limiting the sliding movement of said plate in an outward direction, said means comprising an inwardly extending pin on one of the side walls near the open end and an inwardly and downwardly extending pin on the key carrying plate spaced from the pinin the side wall and adapted to contact same when the said plate is slid outwardly through the open end for a predetermined distance.

2 'A key carrying case, comprising a casing open at the top and one end thereof and further comprising a pair of side walls, an end wall and a bottom wall, each of the side walls having a slideway, the said slideways being in alinement one with the other, a keycarrying plate slidable under slight pressure in the said slideways, the said plate having an opening therein located near the open end of the casing when the plate is in normal inward position in the casing, a key carrying stud removably maintained in said plate opening, and means for limiting the sliding movement of said plate in an outward direction, said means comprising an inwardly extending pin on one of the sidewalls near the open end and an inwardly and downwardly extending pin on the key carrying plate spaced from the pinin the side wall andadapted to contact same when the said plate'is" slid outwardly through the open end'for a pre-determined distance.

3. A key carrying case in accordance with claim 1 wherein the inwardly extending pin on the side wall has slight frictional contact with a portion of the key during a short distance of the movement of the plate. I

4. A key carrying case in accordance with claim 2' wherein the inwardly extending pin on the side wall has slight frictionalcontact with a portion of the key during a short distance of the movement of the plate.

5. A key carrying case in accordance with claim 2 wherein the key carrying stud, has fri'c-" tional engagement with the bottom wall of the casing during a short distance of the movemen of the plate. 7

JOHN JUPI'N'. SOPHIE J UPIN 

